Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium luteum |
|
---|---|---|
tall larkspur |
golden larkspur, yellow larkspur |
|
Stems | 70-200 cm; base reddish, nearly glabrous. |
20-40(-55) cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. |
Leaves | blade pentagonal, 2-7 × 3-9 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-7, width 5-25 mm; midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide. |
blade round to pentagonal, 1-5 × 2-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-5, width 8-30 mm (basal), 5-15 mm (cauline). |
Inflorescences | 8-30-flowered; pedicel 0.5-2 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 mm, puberulent. |
5-25(-37)-flowered; pedicel (1-)3-5(-7) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 6-10(-17) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-7 mm, nearly glabrous. |
Flowers | sepals whitish to pale lavender or purple, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 9-11 × 4-6 mm, spurs straight, as much as 45° above or below horizontal, 9-12 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white. |
sepals bright yellow, puberulent, appearing waxy, lateral sepals ± forward pointing, (11-)14-16 × (6-)9-13 mm, spur straight, ca. 30° below horizontal, 11-20 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-4 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs sparse or absent, ± evenly distributed if present, white to yellow. |
Fruits | 7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
11-14 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
Seeds | ± wing-margined; seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth. |
unwinged; seed coat cell surfaces smooth. |
Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium luteum |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering late winter-mid spring. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes in open deciduous woods and barrens, mainly on calcareous substrates, also shale and mafic and ultramafic rocks | Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral |
Elevation | 150-2000 m (500-6600 ft) | 0-50 m (0-200 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; KY; MD; MO; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
|
CA
|
Discussion | Of conservation concern. Delphinium luteum is presently known from only three populations. It is known to hybridize with D. decorum and with D. nudicaule. Populations of D. hesperium subsp. hesperium also occur at the type locality; D. luteum flowers earlier and hybrids are not known. Delphinium luteum is not likely to be mistaken for any other species of Delphinium. It has been treated as a variety of D. nudicaule and is closely related to that species. Sepals of the infrequent yellow-flowered phase of D. nudicaule, however, have a much drabber appearance compared with the bright shining yellow of the sepals in D. luteum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Bicoloria |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 244. (1789) | A. Heller: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 6: 68. (1903) |
Web links |